Animal exploitation

Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, all practices leading to animal exploitation are illegal. However, these practices still abound in various parts of India, with animals being treated as commodities rather than living creatures.

Have you ever seen a monkey riding a bicycle and cheered or clapped or called others to watch the entertaining scene with you? That is the case with many of us. We like all types of entertainment such as the sight of lions jumping through rings of fire and bears balancing themselves on chairs. We find ourselves admiring the trainers, without realizing the extent of torture and pail these poor animals suffer by performing such life threatening acts. Animal rights are something we need to train ourselves about and not wait for activists or governments to deal with because these animals are as much a part of our life as are our children.

India continues to stays in the limelight when it comes to violation of animal rights. The heinous practice of poaching animals for personal and commercial ends is widespread throughout the country. In early 2010, poachers in Assam killed an elephant and injured a full grown male rhino in the Kaziranga National Park. This was shocking news that made headlines across newspapers but it had no significance on the general public.

The principle of ‘Animal Rights’ is also called as animal liberation. This has assumed a lot of significance as there are many international organizations working to protect animals. However, India still lags far behind in the context of implementing animal rights.